


Raven Father

by lferion



Category: Norse Mythology
Genre: Counting-song, Did Our Duty For Archive And Fandom, Invocation, Poetry, Runes, Structured Form
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1997-08-01
Updated: 1997-08-01
Packaged: 2017-10-11 19:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/116208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lferion/pseuds/lferion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Posted on AO3's Server's first birthday - 13 Sept 2010</p></blockquote>





	Raven Father

Knowing one, seeing twice  
Blood & fire, mead & ice  
He himself the sacrifice  
Rider of the Tree

Wine his food, words his need  
Ice & iron, air & mead  
Thrice hath Gunnlodh held his seed  
God of Poetry

 

Treasures four, half the slain  
Stone & sorrow, gold & rain  
Five-fold knowledge bought with pain  
Wounded majesty

Jord and Rind, Frigg enfold  
Rain & riddles, stone & gold  
Six sons do his promise hold  
One-Eye, bound and free

 

Seven signs mark his own  
Rune & ransom, spear & bone  
Eight-legged steed and highest throne  
Lord of Ecstasy

Nine the Worlds, ever near  
Bone & silver, rune & spear  
Watch and wander, ward and steer  
Cloaked in mystery

 

On the Tree, in the Well  
Ring & water, breath & spell  
He is more than words may tell  
Wodan, Vili, Ve

Fenris-foe, knowing death  
Spell & silence, blood & breath  
Work and words inspireth  
All-Father is he

Odhinn here we see

 

Chant: Raven Father, drawing nigh  
Raven wings embrace the sky  
This world watched with Raven Eye  
Mystery with the other  
Wonder to discover  
Odhinn here we see

 

 

Notes:

The overall structure of this piece is that of a counting spell.  
The song builds from one to nine, each number being used to emphasize  
the specific aspects and attributes of Odhinn being invoked.

1\. One of Odhinn's primary aspects is that of 'knowing', knowledge.

2\. 'Seeing twice' Refers both to the two Ravens, Huginn & Muninn,  
through who's eyes Odhinn sees all that goes on in the Nine  
Worlds, but also to the two kinds of sight he himself has --  
one eye on the world, the other in the Well - insight &  
outer-sight.

3\. Three nights Odhinn spent with Gunnlodh, from which he acquired the  
Mead of poetry & inspiration. There are too many threes  
associated with Odhinn to even begin to exhaust them.

4\. The four Treasures are Draupnir, Gungnir, the mead again, and  
Sleipnir.

5\. The five-fold knowledge/magics are Wisdom, bought with the sacrifice  
of one eye; the Runes, bought with sacrificing himself to  
himself; Seidh, 'woman's magic' bought from Freya; Grief/Healing,  
bought with experience; and Poetry.

6\. The six sons referred to are Thor, Balder, Hod & Hermod, Vidar  
and Vali. I know there are actually rather more than that.

7\. Even though all the runes are in some sense Odhinn's, seven of them  
seem particularly his/of him; Othala, Dagaz, Ansuz, Nauthiz,  
Wunjo, Eihwaz and Gebo.

8\. Eight-legged Sleipnir is Odhinn's sure-footed steed, and his High  
Seat, Hlidskjalf, overlooks all eight points of the compass.

9\. Nine is probably the most important number in relation to Odhinn,  
and Norse magical thought. Nine nights & days on the Tree  
bought the runes, nine verses make up the Havasmal, etc. The  
Nine Worlds of Norse cosmology are: Asgard, Vanaheim & Alfheim,  
Midgard, Muspelheim & Niflheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim & Hel.

**Author's Note:**

> Posted on AO3's Server's first birthday - 13 Sept 2010


End file.
